Ugly Stick / Delawareriver great points and great post. It's awesome to see NJ with such a healthy pike / musky fishery, I think everyone would agree time spent learning proper handling whether it be during the winter or summer will go a long way to maintaining the health of that fishery. These fish are special and any fish you handle could in a few years be the trophy of a lifetime. Leave the gaffs home, I'd rather lose a trophy than kill a dozen others in the process of trying to find one.